In a photo taken with a red filter on the light and camera to protect the hatchlings in July, the first group of turtle hatchlings from endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtle eggs brought from beaches along the Gulf Coast are released into the Atlantic Ocean off NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA photo

By Marcia Dunn, AP aerospace writer
Wednesday, September 08, 2010, 3:54 PM The unprecedented turtle rescue effort at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is winding down. A total of 278 sea turtle nests were trucked to the space center from the Gulf Coast from the end of June until mid-August. Wildlife officials organized the relocation because of fears the oil spill might endanger the hatchlings. They expected to move about 700 nests, but the shipments ended after the Gulf of Mexico was deemed safe for the sea turtle hatchlings. Biologist Jane Provancha said Wednesday that she expects to release the final batch of hatchlings into the Atlantic near Cape Canaveral this week. At least 15,000 hatchlings have been released from the more than 28,000 eggs that were transported to Kennedy, Provancha said. That’s a 50-percent-plus success rate, slightly better than in the wild, where raccoons and other animals prey on the eggs and hatchlings scampering toward the ocean. Humans also are a threat; bright lights along the beach can confuse the hatchlings and draw them away from the ocean. “That’s a good rate,” Provancha said. “We’re not finished yet.” …

NASA’s turtle egg rescue from Gulf oil spill is deemed a success